St. Pius Roman Catholic Church 1100 Woodside Road Redwood City, CA 94061

(650) 361-1411 Fax (650) 369-3641 pius.org

For urgent pastoral needs: (650) 395-7487 St. Pius Catholic School (650) 368-8327

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time September 12, 2021

Mass Times Pius.org/stream

Monday - Friday: 8:00 am in person & livestreamed Saturday Vigil: 5:00 pm in person only Sunday Schedule: 8:00 am in person only 9:30 am in person & livestreamed 11:30 am (Spanish) in person & livestreamed

Reconciliation: Saturdays 3:30 - 4:30 pm Adoration Chapel: 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

For all Sacraments Family must be registered in the parish for at least 6 months

and attend Mass regularly. Contact the Parish Center at least one month in advance for

Baptism and six months in advance for Marriage.

Anointing of the Sick & Viaticum For those who are scheduled for surgery or seriously ill, please

contact the Parish Center. For those in the hospital, please contact the hospital chaplain.

Free Subscription to Formed pius.formed.org

Reverend Thomas Vital Martin

Pastor

Reverend Maurice Igboerika Parochial Vicar

Very Reverend Mark Doherty

Sunday Presider

Reverend Edgardo Rodriguez Sunday Presider

Marc Nava St. Pius School Principal

Leigh Masi

Preschool Director

Judy Giacometti Parish Operations Manager

this week 11 Saturday St. Cyprian 12 Sunday 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9:30 am Catechetical Sunday Sacramental Preparation 13 Monday St. John Chrysostom 5:30 pm YLI Meeting (FC) 7:00 pm Women's Club Board Mtg (C1-Conf Rm) 14 Tuesday Exaltation of the Holy Cross 7:00 pm St. Vincent de Paul Meeting (C1-Conf Rm)

15 Wednesday Our Lady of Sorrows 4:00 pm Confirmation Class-in person 16 Thursday St. Cornelius 17 Friday St. Robert Bellarmine 10:00 am Senior's Meeting (C1-Conf Rm) 3:00 pm Divine Mercy Chaplet (Adoration Ch.) 18 Saturday St. Joseph of Cupertino 3:30 pm Individual Reconciliation (Church)

September 11 - 18, 2021

PC = Parish Center FC = Fitzsimon Center HC = Homer Crouse

Rev Thomas Vital Martin frtom@pius.org, ext 117 Rev Maurice Igboerika frmaurice@pius.org, ext 121 Marc Nava, St. Pius School Principal mnava@stpiusschool.org (650) 368-8327 Judy Giacometti, Parish Operations Manager judy@pius.org, ext 110 Leigh Masi, Preschool Director preschool@stpiusschool.org, ext 127 Cathy Yee, Liturgy & Special Projects Coordinator cathy@pius.org, ext 116 Tony Eiras, Director of Sacred Music tony@pius.org, ext 115 Stephanie Herbst, Director of Catechesis & Evangelization stephanie@pius.org, ext 113 Elvira Cabahug-Garcia, Parish Secretary elvira@pius.org, ext 114 Kristin Bright, Bulletin Editor, CFF Secretary kristin@pius.org, ext 111 Debbie Castelli, Bookkeeper debbie@pius.org, ext 120 Adele Sanchez, Senior Coordinator

Altar Society - Barbara Mosso barbara.mosso@frosch.com (650) 346-6677

Environment Committee Stephanie Herbst and Evelyn Martin SPSEnvironmentCom@googlegroups.com

Grief Ministry griefministry@pius.org (650) 361-0655

Italian Catholic Federation - Anna Fraone (650) 365-1289

Men’s Club - Devin Lonergan mensclub@pius.org

Pastoral and Finance Councils Fr. Tom Martin

Sandwiches on Sunday (SOS) - Maryann Barry mary246barry@sbcglobal.net (650) 464-1961

Society of St. Vincent de Paul - Rick Boitano (650) 361-1411

St. Pius School PTG - Heather Torres ptg@stpiusschool.org

St. Pius Women's Club - Karen Elmore womensclub@pius.org

Young Ladies’ Institute - Virginia Keegan vkeegan7@aol.com (650) 892-9280

pastoral and administrative staff parish groups

Masses also Livestreamed at pius.org/stream

As Fr. Tom was in Lourdes this week, there is no message from him.

Our readings from Isaiah and from the Gospel of Mark confront us with the fact that the invitation to faith leads us into suffering. In Isaiah, the prophet accepts pain and shaming from others, as he trusts in God. In Mark, Jesus is blunt about this: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” When we embrace faith, we are confronted with our own fears about suffering and about losing comfort, status, and control over our lives. Life has plenty of suffering already, so why choose to add to it? Jesus points to a response: avoiding our fears and clinging to illusion and superficial comforts will not give us what we really want from life. Jesus offers a better, deeper life, a life grounded in God’s love. It is lived in hope of resurrection and the final triumph of this love.

A Different Life The Gospel of Mark reaches a turning point in today’s passage. About halfway through Mark, Jesus’ disciples begin to understand Jesus as the Messiah (or Christ). And Jesus begins to spell out just what is expected of those who follow him. The story then shifts to learning just what being Christ, and following Christ, actually means. Jesus shatters the expectation of a political or military power defeating Israel’s oppressors, and reveals a different kind of Messiah. The disciples later come to see that this different Messiah offers a different understanding of power, and of life itself. We inhabit a world that honors power over others, through wealth or achievement or violence. Jesus invites us into a community and a way of life that honors the power of love and service to others. Lived fully, it is truly a different way of life. It is marked by great suffering and great joy, because it embraces the fundamental pattern of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

A “Large" Faith The letter of James is designed to enlarge your faith. James knew that his community faced trials that could lead them to abandon the faith, or perhaps to reduce faith to a comfortable, manageable size. In today’s passage, James calls the reader to resist reducing faith to safe, intellectual assent to teachings, and instead to expand one's faith to actively engage in good works, especially in service to the poor. To have a “large” faith is to move from apathy toward others’ sufferings to empathy and to action. A large faith leads to a large heart, where we can take in the enormity of suffering in the world around us, not become overwhelmed by it, and do what we can to relieve it. With a large heart, we can even squarely face our own sufferings, accepting our own tragedies with forgiveness and hope, and walking in empathy with all who share in suffering.

Nuestras lecturas de Isaías y del Evangelio de Marcos nos confrontan con el hecho de que la invitación a la fe nos lleva al sufrimiento. En Isaías, el profeta acepta el dolor y la vergüenza de los demás, mientras confía en Dios. En Marcos, Jesús es contundente al respecto: “El que quiera seguirme, que se niegue a sí mismo, tome su cruz y me siga”. Cuando aceptamos la fe, nos enfrentamos a nuestros propios miedos al sufrimiento y a perder la comodidad, el estatus y el control de nuestras vidas. La vida ya tiene mucho sufrimiento, así que ¿por qué elegir añadirlo? Jesús señala una respuesta: evitar nuestros miedos y aferrarnos a la ilusión y a las comodidades superficiales no nos dará lo que realmente queremos de la vida. Jesús ofrece una vida mejor y más profunda, una vida fundada en el amor de Dios. Se vive con la esperanza de la resurrección y el triunfo final de este amor.

Una Vida Diferente El Evangelio de Marcos alcanza un punto de inflexión en el pasaje de hoy. Como hacía la mitad de Marcos, los discípulos empiezan a entender que Jesús es el Mesías (o Cristo). Y Jesús empieza a detallar lo que se espera de quienes lo siguen. El relato cambia entonces a aprender lo que significa realmente ser Cristo y seguir a Cristo. Jesús rompe la expectativa de un poder político o militar que derrote a los opresores de Israel, y revela un tipo diferente de Mesías. Después, los discípulos se dan cuenta de que este Mesías diferente ofrece una comprensión diferente del poder y de la vida misma. Vivimos en un mundo que honra el poder sobre los demás, a través de la riqueza, los logros o la violencia. Jesús nos invita a una comunidad y a una forma de vida que honra el poder del amor y del servicio a los demás. Vivida plenamente, es una forma de vida verdaderamente diferente. Está marcada por un gran sufrimiento y una gran alegría, porque abraza el modelo fundamental de la muerte y la resurrección de Jesús.

Una Fe "Grande" La carta de Santiago está pensada para engrandecer la fe. Santiago sabía que su comunidad enfrentaba pruebas que podían llevarlos a abandonar la fe, o quizá a reducirla a un tamaño cómodo y manejable. En el pasaje de hoy, Santiago invita a quien lea su carta a resistirse a reducir la fe a un sentimiento seguro y racional de las enseñanzas y, en cambio, a expandir su fe para comprometerse activamente en buenas obras, especialmente en el servicio a los pobres. Tener una fe “grande” es pasar de la apatía hacia los sufrimientos de los demás a la empatía y la acción. Una fe grande nos lleva a un corazón grande, donde podemos tomar lo enorme del sufrimiento en el mundo que nos rodea, sin abrumarnos por ello, y hacer lo que podamos para aliviarlo. Con un corazón grande, podemos incluso enfrentar nuestros propios sufrimientos, aceptando nuestras propias tragedias con perdón y esperanza, y caminando con empatía con todos los que comparten el sufrimiento.

prayer and worship This Sunday’s Readings

Isaiah 50:5-9a; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35

(= deceased; INT = special intention) Saturday, Sept. 11 5:00 pm John Gardetto Sunday, Sept. 12 8:00 am Maria & Fritz Hackel 9:30 am Thomas Gannon 11:30 am People of St. Pius 5:00 pm Those in the military Monday, Sept. 13 8:00 am Albert & Consuela Aquino Tuesday, Sept. 14 8:00 am Aldo L. Rossi Wednesday, Sept. 15 8:00 am David Patrick Jr. Thursday, Sept. 16 8:00 pm Fred Ira Friday, Sept. 17 8:00 am Children with cancer

Please pray for our

faithful departed

Edna Mangini Jerome "Jerry"

Mertens

Flowers have been placed in the sanctuary of the church this

weekend from the Dugoni Family

in loving memory of Arthur Dugoni

Altar flower arrangements may be donated to remember living or deceased

relatives and friends or to celebrate a special occasion.

Please contact the Parish Center at (650) 361-1411 for more information.

Please pray for our sick, that Jesus be a source of strength and

comfort for them.

Names are automatically removed after 30 days; please call the Parish Center

to add a name to this list. Andrew Callaghan Anne Callaghan

Stephanie Carrillo Maria Contreras Francesco DiFede Madeline Gambelin Clemencia Garcia Pat Hanley John Hernandez Ferdinand Jose Sr. Mary Keefe

Anita Martin Fr. Bill McCain Katarina Nyindombi Mark Olson Sandy Piazza Lisa Sawyer Heidi Sjolund Lorraine Wright

Our priests dedicate their lives to serving God and the Church. Please remember in your prayers, the souls of our priests who have died,

especially those in the San Francisco Archdiocese. September 12

Rev. Andrew Dachauer, S.J. (2015)

September 14 Rev. Steven E. Davies (2012)

September 16 Rev. John F. X. Connolly, S.J. (1969)

September 17 Rev. Robert J. O'Connor (1957)

prayer and worship Catechetical Sunday

Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each

person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. This year, the Church celebrates Catechetical Sunday on

September 19, but here at St. Pius we celebrate this weekend.

Those who our parish community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry and our Faith Formation students will be blessed.

Celebration of Consecrated Life & Jubilarians Archdiocesan Mass with Celebrant Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone

Sunday, September 19, 2021 ● 9:30 am

Those living the consecrated life are women and men

religious who have professed the vows of poverty, chastity

and obedience as a response to God’s call to be of service to the people of God and a sign

of God’s love.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco is blessed to have women and men religious representing more than 60 Congregations serving in a

variety of ministries, sharing their spirituality and living in community.

Please join us after Mass for coffee & doughnuts hosted by the

SF Archdiocese Office of Consecrated Life.

Cathedral Jubilee Rosary Rally

Saturday, October 2, 2021, 10:30 am - 2:00 pm St. Mary's Cathedral

1111 Gough Street @Geary, San Francisco 10:30 am Parish Processions to the Cathedral Plaza for Confessions

11:00 am Recitation of the Most Holy Rosary / Divine Mercy Chaplet on the Plaza

11:30 am Address from Invited Keynote Speaker

12:30 pm Mass with the Archbishop, Renewal of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Investiture of Miraculous Medal

Prayer Year of St. Joseph

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son;

in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man.

Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father

and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,

and defend us from every evil. Amen. ~Pope Francis

faith formation Ongoing Faith Formation for children Grade 3-7

who have received First Holy Communion.

Parents and guardians are the primary faith educator of their children, as it is within the family that children come to know God's love. St. Pius is here to support you and your family in your child's ongoing faith

development because the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist is not the end of their Faith Journey. In this way, they will be better prepared to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

We encourage you to enroll your child in our Gospel Weekly program which is liturgy based and fun to complete. After the 9:30 am & before the 11:30 am Sunday Masses, receive the Gospel Weekly handout.

Complete the handout and return the following Sunday!

Fee: $30 per child. Please visit pius.org/cff to register. Please remit fees in cash or check to the Parish Center.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

Adults interested in Catholicism are invited to attend our 2021/2022 Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) sessions held weekly on Wednesday evenings until Easter. Classes will be online.

There will be volunteer opportunities and a guest speaker once a month.

RCIA is a faith formation series for adults who have never been baptized, or were baptized in another faith and are now considering becoming Catholic. It is also for baptized Catholic adults who never received First Communion and Confirmation.

The classes are led by parishioner Mary Chacon. For more information or to register, please contact Mary at (650) 228-4786 or ladychacon@gmail.com.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a religious education method centered around the parable of the Good Shepherd, based largely on the Montessori method of education,

and is now being offered at St. Pius. This program integrates religious education with Sunday Mass to teach children the importance of the

sacraments and mass attendance. It also invites the entire family to partake in religious education.

For children ages 3 through 1st Grade. Every Sunday during 9:30 am Mass. Drop your child(ren) off at the Parish Center by 9:20 am, attend Mass, and return afterwards for pick up.

Children must be potty trained. Program is free and no registration is required.

For more information, please contact Stephanie Herbst, Director of Catechesis and Evangelization at stephanie@pius.org.

Thank you for generously sharing the fruits of your labor and your gifts of time and talent with our

St. Pius community.

Gifting to St. Pius

St. Pius Parish was built on the generosity of its parishioners and continuing donations ensure that our parish will continue to thrive.

There are several ways to donate to St. Pius Church:

• Cash or Check

• Online Donation - go to pius.org/give.

• Stock Donation - by donating highly appreciated securities, donors pay no capital gains on the appreciated stock and receive an income tax deduction for the full market value at the time of the gift (up to the overall amount allowed by the IRS).

• IRA withdrawal - donate directly from your IRA at age 70 ½ years or older. While income tax is normally due on each traditional IRA distribution, the account owner does not need to pay taxes on the amount transferred to St. Pius Church.

Tax laws have recently changed, we have parishioners who are members of the Finance Council who can answer questions on these topics and guide you towards an effective strategy to donate to St. Pius Church or other non-profit organizations.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact the Parish Center at (650) 361-1411.

stewardship Sunday Collections

July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022 (annual goal) $505,000.00 July 1, 2021 - Sept. 5, 2021 (goal to date) $ 99,019.60 July 1, 2020 - Sept. 5, 2021 (actual rec'd)* $ 79,448.62

Sunday Collection - Sept. 5, 2021 Collection for our Parish $ 4,146.00 Second Collection - Sept. 5, 2021 Catholic University $ 1,457.00

*includes electronic contributions to August 31, 2021

2021 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal Campaign $119,307.00 2021 Archdiocesan Annual Appeal (received) $ 82,600.00 Campaign Goal less payments received $ 36,707.00

“For the needy will never be forgotten; nor will the hope of the afflicted ever fade.”

Priest’s Retirement Fund 2nd Collection

Next Weekend September 18 & 19

Our priests have dedicated their lives to serving others. They have been with us and those we love for many of life's most precious moments, from birth to death, showing us the love and compassion of God. They have baptized us, taught us, preached the Gospel to us and led our parish communities. They have heard our sins,

blessed us with absolution and brought us the Eucharistic gift of Christ Himself. They have witnessed our weddings, comforted us in illness, officiated our funerals and always been there, in both our times of distress and

our moments of celebration. In their retirement years, these men of God need and deserve our help.

This 2nd collection benefits the Priests Retirement Fund, which covers medical expenses, assisted living, and nursing care for our retired priests. Every contribution is greatly appreciated and helps ensure

that our retired priests receive the quality care they deserve.

community life

Welcome Bishop Thomas Daly

Bishop of Spokane

Celebrant for our St. Pius Church 70th Anniversary Mass

Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 10:30 am

Platinum Jubilee ~ Silent Auction Friday, October 1 - Sunday, October 3, 2021

This year's Auction will be online and we need your support! Any donation, large or small is welcome - gift certificates, event

tickets, themed gift baskets, services, just to name a few. Cash donations are gladly accepted.

Donations may be brought to the Parish Center.

For more information or to arrange pick-up of items, please contact our Auction Chairs: Sonia Picone at Sonia.picone@icloud.com/(650) 269-1377 or Denise Severi at dseveri10@gmail.com/(650) 703-2574.

Grief Ministry News "Moving Through the Loss of a Loved One: The Next Step"

Grief Support Group

Monday evenings at 7:00 pm starting Monday, September 20, 2021 (runs 8 weeks)

This session is intended for those who have previously attended a Grief Support group session and/or would like to participate in a support group focused on progressing through their personal grief journey.

For more information or to register, please contact Grief Ministry at (650) 361-0655 or griefministry@pius.org.

Singers!

You are invited to be part of the choir for this momentous occasion.

There will be three rehearsals to prepare for this celebration …

• Thursday, September 16th 7:30 pm • Thursday, September 23rd 7:30 pm • Thursday, September 30th 7:30 pm

All rehearsals will be held in the church. For your and our community’s health and safety, we will require that social distancing is strictly maintained and masks are worn at all times. Disposable singer’s masks will be provided for all participants at all rehearsals and at the Mass. Though we cannot require that all participants are fully vaccinated, it is strongly recommended.

Please RSVP as soon as possible to Tony Eiras at tony@pius.org or call/text (415) 712-9600.

other news/events

Women's Catholic Scripture Study of San Mateo County

Please join our 2021-2022 study Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets Volume II: Restoration and Redemption.

St. Mark Catholic Church, Belmont Thursdays through March 31, 2022 (with holiday breaks) ● 9:45 am - 12 noon

This 23-lesson Catholic Bible Study from Turning to God's Word provides an in-depth look at the exilic and post-exilic prophets, offering valuable insights into biblical history immediately

before and after the time of Jesus Christ.

For more information, please visit our website, www.cssbelmont.com. To register, please contact Martha Rubio at msr.rubio@gmail.com or (650) 743-0949.

Respect Life Webinar Series

Tuesdays in October 5, 12 & 19 at 12:30 pm

During the month of October the church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life. For this reason, the SF Archdiocese Office of Human Life and Dignity, wants to help bring awareness to an

important study and its findings during this month. Join us for a series of 3 webinars that address the findings of this study. Conveniently planned during lunch time

so people can take a break from work and watch!

10/5 Prenatal Development 10/12 What is Legal?

10/19 The Ethics

To register, please visit sfarch.org/respect-life-webinars

St. Joseph Summit A Pilgrimage to the Heart of St. Joseph

September 30 - October 3, 2021

Divine Intimacy, Transformation of Heart, Zeal for Holiness.

Our Spiritual Father 2021 will help you develop a greater devotion to St. Joseph and learn how to protect yourself, your marriage, and your family against evil.

Join us and discover…

• How to have St. Joseph as a spiritual father • How to develop a consistent devotion to St.

Joseph • Learn how to call upon St. Joseph as a

protection against evil

• The keys to bringing St. Joseph into the life of

your family and the Church • Who to turn to in times of suffering • The keys to overcoming doubt, hesitation and

fear • How to hear God’s voice... and much more!

Our parish has a FORMED subscription. To set up your free account visit pius.formed.org